Ivory Chronicles

Act IV - Apex Rebellion Part 1

The Cloak on Dreams

The room fell heavy with tension, Cristofer's unusually good mood vanished completely, his face darkening. He shot up from his chair, eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear, knowing that what I suggested wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

"What did you just say?!" Cristofer yelled, his gaze piercing straight into mine.

"Fabian mentioned the name 'Soren Varro.' He said that was his little brother's name."

Cristofer continued to stare at me, waiting for more information to confirm my suspicions.

"There was a doctor who enraged Fabian at the sight of him. I don't know his first name, but his last name was Moreno." As I said the name, I scanned the pictures on Cristofer's wall, searching for a familiar face. The photos were old, around 20 years ago. If Moreno was among them, he would have been in his 30s.

"I don't know of any Doctor Moreno, but here are the doctors who experimented on my team." Cristofer pointed to an old, worn-out photo, its corners burned and a piece missing. In it, I quickly recognized Davos, the one I fought before, but this version was thin instead of muscular. His dark-shining skin, long eyelashes, and hazel eyes were unmistakable. This must be the real Davos, not his clone.

Next to Doctor Davos was a man with a goatee and a familiar stern face. If this man drank wine daily and ate a lot of red meat, he would definitely turn into Doctor Moreno in 20 years. I had no doubt it was him. As Fabian said, his unsympathetic eyes were unforgettable. "That's him," I said to Cristofer.

"That's Doctor Gilroy, a heartless bastard," Cristofer replied. "I presumed he died in the breakout, just like Doctor Davos."

"So this Silas, or whatever his name is, killed his little brother, then killed Davos. You rescued him along with the others, and after some years, he killed a member of your group, went rogue, and ended up killing Mateos. Then, we faced him in the Senator's home, but that wasn't the real him. The real him must have been Fabian." I recalled how Davos' veins glowed during our fight.

"Arianna told me she noticed something strange about Fabian, and for a quick second while she was fighting him, I saw his veins glow too, just like Davos' when I fought him." This was it; there was no more denying it. This Silas person had been impersonating Davos, and now, most likely, he had been impersonating Fabian.

"THAT BASTARD WILL PAY!" Cristofer yelled, dashing toward the door. I grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Stop! We have to think this through. What if there is someone else besides Fabian? What if he's been picking us off one by one?" The thought terrified me. What if the whole team had been replaced? What if Annabella had been killed too?!

My insides felt like they were about to burst. I wanted to charge through that door and confront Fabian, but I couldn't. They all could be in danger if this went wrong.

"Jessie," Cristofer suddenly said. "Jessie could help; her powers let her see the past of the people she touches. She can confirm who is who."

"What makes you so sure that Davos hasn't gotten to her yet?" I replied, my voice laced with doubt.

"She... helps me with my memories. If she were Davos, she would've killed me a long time ago. Trust me."

"You know if you're wrong, we'll tip Davos off, and he'll attack before we can confirm anything," I recanted to Cristofer. We had to find a way to tell Jessie and not look suspicious, and we had to do it now. We can't risk not knowing who is really who.

"Do you have something in mind?" Cristofer asked me, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"I can think of something, but you have to go along with what I say," I said firmly.